Trump is 51 percent of Republicans’ favorite candidate, newspaper says

Former U.S. President Donald Trump is the favourite candidate of 51% of Republican voters to run for president of the country for the party, says a Wall Street Journal poll released on Friday (21).

Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida and another firm name in the party, was behind with 38%.

The numbers are practically reversed about the last edition of the same survey from December 2022.

DeSantis had 52% voting intention for the Republican primary, compared to 38% for Trump.

Despite this number, the majority of voters (41%) recognize that DeSantis would be better able to beat Joe Biden, the current head of the US Executive, in the 2024 elections.

The Democrat is expected to announce his candidacy on Tuesday (25), according to The Washington Post. In 2020, he defeated Trump in the race for the White House.

The governor also leads in the sampling on temperament: 48% say he has the right personality for the job. He is rated as more conservative by another 37% of respondents. Trump has a slightly lower percentage: 35%.

The politician’s conservatism can be seen in actions ahead of Florida. For example, on Wednesday (April 19), he banned sex education in schools across the state.

Trump leads in other stratifications. For 53%, he is considered a strong leader. Already 39% say he cares more about voters.

The Wall Street Journal poll heard 600 likely Republican voters from April 11 to April 17. Impact Research and Fabrizio Lee & Associates conducted it. The data was collected via phone calls and text messages.

Trump announced on January 28, 2023, his candidacy in the upcoming elections. At the time, he was holding his first campaign events. He said he was “angrier” and “more committed” than ever.

The former president, however, needs to win an internal vote -the Republican party primaries- to be considered an official candidate.

His early campaigns can be seen as an attempt to gain more strength and popularity to ensure his entry into the electoral race.

When DeSantis ran for governor of Florida in 2018 for the 1st time, Trump endorsed him. The possibility of an internal race to run for the Republican changed the relationship between the 2.